Cotton-harvester.



G. BLOHM. COTTON HABVESTER.

APPLICATION mm "11.20. 1911.

Patented Oct. 9,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I ATTORNEY G. BLOHM COTTON HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED APILZOv 19!]. 1,242,761. Patented Oct. 9,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY WITNESSES I G. BLOHM.

COTTON HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED 4m. 20. 19H.

I m m 11 E DU M a 1 64 L 5 0m M '26 M 0 D P m w a P a ATTORNEY flea/ye 1570512: a? 6 G. BLOHM.

COTTON HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20\ 1911.

1,242,761 Patented Oct. 9,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- INVENTOR enema BLOHH, or an can-mo, cmonnu.

V corron-nnnvnsrnn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Appligation fled 11414120, 1917. Serial Illo. 168A.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonon BLoHM, a citizen of the United States, residin at El Centro, in the county of Imperial an State of California, have invented new and useful Im rovements in 'Cotton-Harvesters, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention re ates to cotton harvesters and it has for its object to produce an organized machine of simple and improved construction whereby the cotton bol s may be stripp'ed'from the stalks, separated from a large proportion of impurities, and conveyed to a receptacle carried by the machine.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and improved machine of the class described in which the working parts will be mounted on a wheel supporte platform, the vehicle as well as the moving parts of the machine being driven by a motor installed on the platform. 7

A further object of the invention is to reduce simple and improved mechanism or stripping or detaching the cotton bolls from the stalks, the said mechanism consistirg of coacting rollers driven at uneven s cc Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction, ar rangement-and 0 eration of the detailed parts of the machine.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a sim 1e and preferred form of the invention, it eing, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications Within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings:

- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3 -3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a. front elevation.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional detail view showing the brackets 27 and relatedfparts.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings are denoted by like charactors of reference.

The main frame of the improved machine includes sills or side members 15, the same being spaced apart and connected together by a platform 16, the frame structure being sup orted on front and rear axles 17, 18 having wheels 19, 20, the rear wheels servin as traction wheels and the rear axle being driven by power derived from a motor A supported on the platform. The front axle is connected with a steering ear generall designated by B and inc uding a steering wheel 21 which is mounted in convenient proximity to the o erators seat 22.

The machine shown in t e accompanying drawings is adapted .to operate simultaneously on two rows of plants and accordingly two sets of strippin apparatus are provlded, one at each si e of the forward end of the frame structure. Each set .of stripping apparatus has been shown as compris mg two side bars namely an inner side bar 23 and an outer side bar 24, said side bars preferabl consisting of angle bars having rearwar y extending arms 25 that are pivoted on a shaft 26, said shaft bein su ported at its inner and outer ends in rac ets 27 28 projecting at the front end of the frame structure, said outer bracket hav ing a slot 29 to permit the shaft and related parts to swing to a limited extent in an approximately horizontal plane. The bars 23 and 24 are provided at their forward ends with divergent gathering arms 30 and 31, said gatherin arms belng relatively depressed at their front ends so that when the parts are in position for operation, the said inner gathering arnis will enga e the ground at their forward ends while the outer arms 31 will be slightly elevated above the ground. The said inner gathering arms ma be provided with ground enga 'ng rol ers as indicated at 32 to revent t em from digging into the groun The arms 30 and 81 wlll operate to gather the cotton stalksbetween them in a manner and for a taken surpose which will be presently hereinafter ascribed.

. The rearwardly extending arms of the inher and outer side bars 23 and 24 are pivoted on the shaft 26 in such a manner as to permit a slight rocking movement of said arms in an approximately horizontal plane. Secured to t e inner side bar 23 is one end of a cross bar 33 which extends beneath the outer side bar 24 and has an upturned end 34 which is connected with the vertical flange portion of the bar 24 by a bolt 35 having a nut 36, said bolt having a spring 37 coile thereon, and said spring being 1nte osed between the u turns portion 34 0 the cross bar 33 andt e vertical flange portion of the bar 24, pressing the latter resiliently in the direction of its mate 23. A brace bar 38 is connected at its forward end with the bolt 35, the rearward end of said brace bar being adjustably connected by a bolt 39 with the forward end of the frame structure; the brace bar 38 being provided with a slot or with a plurality of apertures 40 for the passage of the bolt 39. It will be seen that b proper adjustment of the brace bar the si e ars of the strip ing device together with the shaft 26 on w ich they are mounted may be rocked in an a proximately horizontal plane, ow-

0 ing to t e presence of the slots 29 in which the outer ends of the shafts 26 at the two sides of the machine are accommodated. By this simple adjustment it will be seen that the two sets of stripping apparatus may be 85 adjusted or rocked so as to be variously s aced apart at their forward ends, this provision being made to enable the machine to operate successfully on rows of plants that are variously spaced apart. It will also be seen that the outer side bar 24 of each stri ing apparatus is resiliently forced in t e sirection of the inner side bar, permitting the said outer side bar to rock against the tension of the spring 37 for the purpose of margin the distance between the outer ends of t e wo side bars.

The side bars 23 and 24 of each strippin ap aratus are rovided at their forwa on s with uprig ts 41 connected together by a cap piece 42. The side bars 23 and 24 are also rovided at their rearward ends with uprig ts 43 which are connected with the front uprights b suitable brace members 44. The front uprig ts 41 have brackets 45 sup- 5 port' the u per ends of rotary shafts 46 the 16 of which are stepped in the forward ends of the side bars 23 and 24..

The shafts 46 carry coacting cylindrical rolls .47 which are referably tapered at their 0 lower ends as own at 48 each of said rolls being 49. Theshafts 46 carrying the eoacting rolls are rovided at their u per ends wit pulleys 5 and 51, said p eys being conprovided with a spirally disposed rib nected b transmission bands 52 with driven pulleys 3,53 which are of unequal diameter and whereb the shafts carrying the meeting rolls will be driven at unequal s eed. It is immaterial which of the two ro is is driven at relatively high speed but the rolls must obvious] be driven with their front portions moving each toward its mate so that lants engaged by the rolls will be force to pass t erebetween and at the same time be subjected to a rubbing or stri pi'ng action due to the fact thatthe r01 s are driven at unequal speed. The driven pulley 53 of each stripping device may receive motion from a countershaft 54 through the medium of intermeshing bevel gears 55, said countershaft being driven b a suitable transmission from the motor It may be appropriate at this time to state that the parts of the mechanism of the improved machine which are driven by the motor A may be connected with the source of power.

by transmission means of any desired and well known character by including ar wheels, sprocket wheels, chains, pui eys, bands, and the like and that clutches or other well known means for interruptin motion may be used wherever desired, toget er with levers and other like well known means for controlling such clutches and the like, but

inasmuch as such transmission means are well known and in general use, it is not deemed necessary to herein particularly describe or illustrate the same.

Supported on the frame structure to the rearward of each stripping device is 9. casing '56 containing a motor driven fan 57. Each fan case has an air inlet 58 and an air outlet 59, the latter communicating with a duct or wind trunk into which air will be forcibl discharged in a rearward direction. The wind trunk 60 communicates at its forward and with a duct 61 supported on the side bars of the stri ping apparatus and extending almost to the forward ends of said side bars where it terminates a short distance to the rearward of the stripping rolls 47. J Connected with the forward end of each duct 61 is a shield, .62-which extends upwardly and laterally and which serves to intersect, to spread and to flattenthe cotton stalks that pass between the stri pin rolls. It will be evident that by the orcib e dischar e of air in a rearward direction in the win trunk 60 suction will be set u in the duct 61 whereby the cotton bolls w ich are detached from the stalks b the rubbing action of the coactin rolls 4 will be carried rearwardly throng the duct and the wind trunk and discharged into a receptacle or cleaner case 63 with which the rearward end of the wind trunk 60 is connected.

Arranged within the cleaner case 63 is a riddle C composed of a plurality of longitudinal strips or bars 64 pivoted at their forward ends on a transverse rod or shaft 65 and serially connected at their rearward ends by a transverse rod 66, said rod 66 ex.- tending through slots 67 in the side walls of the cleaner case. The strips or bars 64 are to be suitably spaced apart. The rod 66 is connected by means of links or pitmen 68' with wrist pins 69 on disks 70 mounted on a driven shaft 71 whereby a vibratory motion will be imparted to the riddle. The cleaner casing also contains a driven cylinder 72 arranged to cooperate with the forward part of the riddle to engage the material passing into the cleaner casing through the wind trunk 60, rubbing the said material and separating the dust and the burs or squares from the cotton, permitting the heav material to pass between the bars of the riddle, while the light dust will be blown through an adjustable door or valve 73 in the top of the cleaner casing. The material passing between the bars of the riddle will fall on an inclined bottom plate 74 and will be thereby conveyed to the ground at a point near the rearward end of the cleaner casing.

Mounted on the supporting frame to the rearward of the cleaner case is a receptacle 7 5, said receptacle having been shown as a box of rectangular shape adapted to receive material discharged over the riddle C. Instead of discharging the cotton directly into the receptacle 75.1 prefer to place in the latter a bag 76 of textile material, such as heavy ducking, the same being reinforced at its top edge by a bead 77 which may be constructed of a cord inclosed in a suitable hem and with which rings 78 are connected to receive a draw string or rope 79 whereby the mouth of the bag may be closed. Mounted on a shelf 80 at one side of the receptacle is a derrick 81 which may be utilized for hoisting the filled bag from the receptacle 75. The contents of the bag may be emptied on the ground for subsequent gathering, or the bag may be replaced by an empty one provided that a suflicient number of bags are kept on hand to permit this procedure. In such event a plurality of filled bags may be loaded on a truck or wagon and carried to the gin house.

It has been stated that when the machine is arranged for gathering cotton, the forward ends of the stripping devices will be supported by the ground engaging gathering arms 30. When the machine is to be transported from place to place it is necessary that the front ends of the stripping devices should be supported in raised position with respect to the ground and to this end pivot arms 82 are provided, each of said arms having a notch 83 adapted to engage one of the countershafts 54, thereby sustaining the stripping apparatus in a sufliciently raised position to enable the machine to travel over the roads.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood. It will be seen that when the stripping devices are lowered to ground engaging position and the machine is driven forward, the rows of cotton will be guided between the gathering arms and caught between the coacting rolls 47 which are rotated at unequal speed, thereby crushing the cotton stalks and rubbing t e cotton bolls from the stalks. The operation of detaching the cotton bolls from the stalks is greatly facilitated and improved by the provision of spiral ribs on the coactin rolls 47 especially when taken in connection with the fact that said rolls are driven at different peripheral speeds. The spiral rib on the roll which is driven at high s eed will obviously perform a swiping action with respect to the spiral rib on the roll that is driven at low speed, said action having been found extremely effective in detaching the bolls from the stalks that are passingbetween the rolls without injury to the cotton staple. The efficiency of the operation is also greatly enhanced by the fact that one of the rolls is spring-pressed in the direction of its mate, permitting the rolls to open apart for the assage of stalks of various dimensions. T e stalks when they encounter the shields 62 will be flattened and pass between the side bars of the stripping devices, being left on the ground, while the bolls detached by the rubbing action of the rolls will be taken up by the suction in the ducts 61 and will be carried through the latter and throu h the wind trunks 60 to the cleaner case. assing into the cleaner case the material will be subiected to the rubbin action of the cylinder 72 against the rid le C. The fine dust and li ht material which is thus loosened will be h own out beneath the valve 73 which may be opened to an desired extent. The heavy material and ru bish will ass between the bars of the riddle and will be carried over the bottom plate 74 to the ground while the cotton fiber will be discharged rearwardly over the riddle into the bag 76 to be disposed of as heretofore stated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: v

1. In a cotton harvester, a pair of coacting rolls each having a spiral rib and means for driving said rolls at unequal peripheral speed for detaching the cotton from the stalk,

2. In a cotton harvester, a pair of coacting rolls each havin a spiral rib, means for pressing one of sai rolls resiliently in the direction of its mate, and means for driving said rolls at unequal peripheral speed for detaching the cotton from the stalk.

3. In a cotton harvester, a strippin device com rising spaced bars, a sha on which said bars are pivotal] supported upright coactin rolls at the ront ends of t bars, each 0 said rolls having a spiral rib, means for resiliently fpressing one of the rolls in the direction o its mate, and means for driving the rolls at unequal peripheral speeds.

4. In a cotton harvester, a strippm device com rising spaced bars, a sha on which said bars are pivotally supported, u right coacting rolls at the front ends of t e bars, and gathering arms connected with and extending forwardly with respect to the bars, one of said gathering arms being relativel depressed in a groundward direction.

5. In a cotton harvester, a strippin device comprising spaced bars, a she t on which sai bars are pivotaliy supported, upright coacting rolls at the rent ends of t e bars, and gathering arms connected with and extending forwardly with res ect to the bars, one of said gathermg arms eing relatively depressed in a groundward direction and provided with a ground engaging wheel.

6. In a cotton harvester, the combination with a carrying frame of two sets of stripping apparatus, each com rising a pair of bars, gathering arms an coacting stripping rolls at' the forward ends of said bars, a shaft on which said bars are pivotally supported at their rearward ends, brackets in which said shaft is su ported, one of said brackets being provides with a slot to permit adjustment of the shaft, and means for effecting adjustment of the shaft and re tention thereof in adjusted position to cause the two sets of stripping aparatus to be vagiously spaced apart at t eir forward on s.

7. In a cotton harvester, a stripping apparatus comprising a pair of bars, coiiperatin gathering arms and driven stripping rofis at the forward ends of said bars, means for pivotally supportin said bars at their rearward ends, a cross ar connected with one of the bars and extending beneath the other bar, a brace, a bolt connecting said brace with -the last spring coiled on the bolt and pressing said last mentioned bar in the direction of its mam. i 8. In a cotton harvester, the combination with a carrying frame of two sets of stripping apyigratus each comprising two bars one of w tion of its mate, thermg arms at the forward ends of said bars, upright coacting gathering rolls at the forward ends of the mentioned bar, and a ch is spring pressed in the direcbars, and means for driving said rolls at unequal speed.

9. In a cotton harvester, the combination with a carrying frame of two sets of stripping apparatus each comprising two bars one of which is spring pressed in the direction of its mate, athermg arms at the forward ends of said bars, upright coacting gathering. rolls at the forward ends of the bars, means for driving said rolls at unequal speed, and means for supporting the bars of each stripping device at t eir rearward ends for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane and forrocking movement in a substantially horizontal plane whereby the forward ends of the two stripping devices may be variously spaced apart.

10. In a cotton harvester, a stripping device comprising a air of spaced pivotally supported bars, gat ering arms at the front ends of said bars and upright coacting and driven stripping rolls a so sup orted at the front ends of the bars, in com ination with a duct supported on the bars to the rearward of the re ers, and means for inducing the passage of a current of air in a rearward direction through said duct.

11. In a cotton harvester, a stripping device com rising a air of spaced pivotally supporte bars, gat ering arms at the front ends of said bars and upright coacting and driven stripping rolls also supported at the front ends of the bars, in combination with a duct supported on the bars to the rearward of the rol ers, means for inducing the passage of a current of air in a rearward direction through said duct, and a shield extending latera ly and upwardly at the intake mouth of said duct.

12. In a cotton harvester, a wheel supported frame, a stripping apparatus comprising a pair of bars lvotally connected withsaid frame, of gathering arms at the forward ends of said bars one of said arms being depressed in a groundward direction, upright coacting driven stripping rolls also supported at the front ends of the bars, and means for supporting the stripping apparatus with the gathering arms in a raised position with respect to the ground.

13. In a cotton harvester, a wheel supported carrying frame, a stripping apparatus comprising a pair of bars swmgingly connectedwith the carrying frame for movement in a vertical plane, therin arms at the forward ends of the are, an coacting driven upright stripping rolls at the forward ends of said bars; in combination with a receptacle supported on the carrymg frame, a cleaner casing containing a driven fan and having an outlet, a 'WlIld trunk connecting the outlet of the fan casof said cleaner casing, and a duct connected direction of said cleaner casing, and a duct at its rearward end with the wind trunk, exconnected at its rearward end with the wind tending forwardly and having an intake trunk, extending forwardly and having an mouth to the rearward of the stripping intake mouth to the rearward of a pair of 5 rolls. cotton stripping rolls, and an upwardly and 1f- 14. In a cotton harvester, a cleaner casing laterally extending shield at the intake containing a driven fan and having an outm'outh.

let, a wind trunk connecting the outlet of the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

fan casln with the cleaner casing for the forcible 'scharge of an air current in the GEORGE BLOHM. 

